SCOT'S 65 IS HIS LOWEST OF YEAR

Don't write me off for an Open at

Turnberry, says jaunty Monty

FROM THE AOL GOLF NEWS SERVICE
Colin Montgomerie matched his lowest round of the year in Paris today - and then urged people not to dismiss his chances of figuring prominently in the upcoming Open Championship at Turnberry.
"I was eighth there in 1994, and The Open gives me my best opportunity if it's fast-running," said the Ryder Cup captain, after a six-under-par 65 in the third round of the French Open Alstom at Le Golf National.
Montgomerie did not expect to make the cut after a closing triple-bogey 7 on Friday had dropped him to one over. He survived by the skin of his teeth, however, and on his return to the course on which he was runner-up last year - his last top-10 finish - he sank a 97-yard pitch to the sixth for an eagle 2 and grabbed four birdies.
Best of those was a 204-yard four-iron to within a few inches of the flag on the difficult 17th, and that reminded the 46-year-old Scot of his prime.
He added: "That's what I used to do. I've been making far too many mistakes - there were a load of crazy ones on Friday - and it starts with hitting fairways.
"If I do that I can play to my strength, my iron play. This was a very important round for me, and I've just got to keep at it, hoping it will come back one day.
"That 7 killed things off here. I've now got to move up as high as I can - I don't need the money, but I need the points."
THIRD ROUND TOTALS
Par 213 (3x71)
202 Rafael Echenique (Arg) 65 67 70
203 Martin Kaymer (Ger) 62 72 69
204 Paul Waring 66 70 68
205 Peter Hanson (Swe) 65 70 70, Richard Green (Aus) 68 67 70, Seve Benson 70 67 68
206 Robert Jan Derksen (Ned) 67 71 68, Charl Schwartzel (Rsa) 68 66 72, Lee Westwood 68 68 70
207 Ian Poulter 72 69 66
208 Francesco Molinari (Ita) 67 70 71, Steve Webster 69 65 74, Colin Montgomerie 69 74 65, Scott Strange (Aus) 65 72 71, Jamie Donaldson 69 71 68, Thongchai Jaidee (Tha) 65 75 68, Graeme Storm 69 72 67, Alvaro Quiros (Spa) 72 71 65
209 Anders Hansen (Den) 69 72 68, Phillip Archer 69 73 67, Danny Willett 68 71 70, Kenneth Ferrie 70 68 71, Richard Sterne (Rsa) 70 70 69
210 Ricardo Gonzalez (Arg) 67 74 69, Soren Kjeldsen (Den) 70 71 69, Gary Orr 73 70 67, Alejandro Canizares (Spa) 67 72 71, Darren Clarke 73 69 68
211 Damien McGrane 70 72 69, Magnus A Carlsson (Swe) 69 71 71, Soren Hansen (Den) 68 71 72, Gareth Maybin 69 71 71, Nick Dougherty 66 76 69, David Horsey 72 71 68, Daniel Vancsik (Arg) 72 67 72, Marc Warren 68 72 71, Jean-Francois Lucquin (Fra) 70 72 69, Gregory Bourdy (Fra) 69 71 71, Gonzalo Fdez-Castano (Spa) 70 72 69
212 Shane Lowry 69 72 71, Paul Lawrie 67 74 71, Oliver Wilson 72 69 71, David Lynn 69 74 69, Raphael Jacquelin (Fra) 72 70 70
213 James Kingston (Rsa) 71 70 72, Francois Delamontagne (Fra) 75 68 70, Jean Van de Velde (Fra) 67 75 71, Peter Lawrie 71 71 71, Steven O'Hara 71 72 70, Jose Manuel Lara (Spa) 70 72 71, Paul Broadhurst 73 69 71, Gary Lockerbie 68 75 70, Miguel Angel Jimenez (Spa) 67 73 73, Ignacio Garrido (Spa) 74 66 73, Chapchai Nirat (Tha) 70 72 71, Mark Foster 69 74 70
214 Hennie Otto (Rsa) 74 67 73, David Drysdale 67 76 71, Niclas Fasth (Swe) 71 72 71, Peter Hedblom (Swe) 73 70 71, Pablo Larrazabal (Spa) 67 73 74, Marcus Fraser (Aus) 68 74 72
215 Jose-Maria Olazabal (Spa) 74 69 72, Benn Barham 68 74 73, Pablo Martin (Spa) 71 72 72, Thomas Levet (Fra) 67 73 75, Ross McGowan 69 72 74, Barry Lane 70 71 74
216 Robert Rock 70 70 76, Miguel Angel Martin (Spa) 72 71 73, Philip Golding 71 72 73
217 Thomas Bjorn (Den) 70 70 77, Alastair Forsyth 72 69 76, John Bickerton 65 77 75, Sam Little 67 75 75
218 Mads Vibe-Hastrup (Den) 68 75 75
219 Shiv Shankar Prasad Chowrasia (Ind) 69 73 77
221 Paul Nilbrink (Swe) 73 69 79